 To the average world citizen, India is synonmous with mystical tales
of maharajas, palaces and treasures of gem and precious stones. The legendary 'Kohinoor'
(Mountain of Light), sparkles above all the rest - the most coveted of all gems. There was
a time when India was the world's only source of diamonds. Indian jewellery flaunts its
ornate history with all varieties of gems and precious stones. A flash of red Rubies from
Orissa, glittering diamonds from Panna (Madhya Pradesh), blood red Garnets from Orissa and
Bihar, Sapphires from Kashmir, Agate beads from Kambhat (Gujarat),... and many others
sourced from Afghanistan, USA, Tibet, Burma, Brazil and Sri Lanka.Indian expertise in Diamonds is world renown with Surat in Gujarat
as one of the key centres. Mumbai and Rajkot are two other cities in a similar league.
Though nowadays, most of the diamonds are sourced from Africa, until 1725 India was the
world's sole source. The craft of polishing precious stones to bring out that extra
sparkle is practised most fervently in the pink city of Jaipur.
These stones are also often used as raw materials for
carving various figures which includes idols of the deities, animals and birds, etc. A
rare collection of such artifacts can be viewed in the IHE premises. |
